Many Americans believe that their healthcare is second to none. Most patients, therefore, fail to appreciate the flaws and dangers present while receiving medical care. In fact, the American healthcare industry is one of the great tragedies of this country, which is now being brought to its knees by the medical industry run amuck. The Truth About Big Medicine: Righting the Wrongs for Better Healthcare divulges secrets of the industry, which keep it focused on its own economic needs to the detriment of public health. The cost of American healthcare per person far exceeds other developed countries, yet it delivers life expectancies and infant mortalities that are ranked shamefully low among developed nations. Special interest groups and weak legislation created a "tapeworm" that continues to devour the American economy and shorten the lives of hundreds of thousands each year. Using true stories throughout, the authors illustrate that it is time for the public, students, educators, and legislators to recognize medical deception and secrecy, and to consider clear solutions on how they can achieve a safer healthcare system. A rich variety of authors with experience in revealing unsafe medical practices bring recommendations for changing healthcare delivery by taking an aspect of the healthcare system, identifying its shortcomings, and proposing ways to reduce harm plus correct the injustices. Included are discussions of imaging, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, hospital practices and procedures, and medical malpractice and negligence, among other topics. No consumer of health care should ignore the dangers inherent in the system; this book helps reveal them and suggests useful remedies. The authors maintain a website at http://truthaboutbigmedicine.com/

This is a must-read for summer runners, baby-boomers, and anyone who suspects that they or a loved one has been harmed by medical errors in our health care system. Hundreds of thousands of Americans die each year from medical errors, but most mistakes are kept secret from patients. After learning a few basic tools of cardiology, the reader shares a journey of heartbreaking mystery and discovery as a father pieces together the events that led to the death of his 19-year old son, despite extensive evaluation by a "team" of cardiologists. That personal struggle opens into a broad-ranging examination of our profit-driven health care system. The story concludes with an appeal for ten patient's rights to protect us all before we personally encounter the dangers of our health care system.